A series of technical problems left customers frozen out of their bank accounts.

The technical hitches meant account holders were unable to withdraw money from some cash machines or pay for goods in shops.

Customers who bank with Halifax and Lloyds TSB had their cards rejected in shops and the Co-operative Bank also said it had experienced problems.

The companies apologised to customers and said they had fixed the faults which struck yesterday.

Mum-of-three Stacey Garrity said she was unable to withdraw money from three cash machines in Northenden – or pay for food at her local supermarket.

Stacey, 34, from Moss Nook, Wythenshawe, who banks with the Co-operative, said: “At first I just thought there was a problem with the machines so then I went to the shop to buy a few bits and thought I’d get some cash back.

“My card was declined – and I had no cash on me so it meant I wasn’t able to buy anything. It was really frustrating and a bit embarrassing. I had to go home to get my credit card and then go back out again to get some stuff which was annoying.”

Twitter users also expressed their frustration at their cards not working. One customer wrote: “Just had a major panic, couldn’t access my bank account at the ATM, apparently its Halifax problem not mine.”

A Co-op spokeswoman apologised for its problems, which she said had lasted for a couple of hours.

She said: “We can confirm that our systems are now fully operational and customers should now be able to use their accounts as normal.

“We would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused by this temporary issue.”

The latest incidents follow a recent string of banking glitches, including a huge IT meltdown over the summer which meant the accounts of NatWest, Ulster Bank and Royal Bank of Scotland customers did not update properly, causing chaos for many people for weeks.

In another separate glitch in July, customers of Britain’s biggest building society, Nationwide, saw debit card payments taken from their accounts twice.